Should I host a home game?

[prairieboy]

I'm toying with the idea of hosting a bi-weekly home game, but can't decide if it is a good idea or not and would appreciate your input.

For context: I'm a profitable, recreational player who might get in 10 poker hours in a good week. I have a young family (2 kids under three). I have a large rec-room with it's own entrance. I know the players, they're all fun, fair and honest recrational players. And finally, I have no plans nor ambitions to turn this into a business (i.e. no rake or other such nonsense).

PROS:
- regular fun & socializing without having to leave home
- fun group of people to hang out with
- +EV games

CONS:
- initial cost to setup the game (-EV)
- opportunity cost (I play higher limits than I would be able to play in the home game and time spent in one place will be at the expense of the other)
- PITA Factor (Pain in the A) i.e. organizing, cleaning, hosting...
- Potential that I'll set it all up and the game will die
- Potential that I'll set it all up and the game will go on and on and on long after it ceases to be fun

For you hosts out there, what has your experience been?

[JTrout]

How about hosting it once, with little start-up costs (kitchen table, deck of cards, Wal-Mart chips) and see if you like it.

Another possibility is that each person in the game hosts it on occasion. People can get pretty creative in finding a place to play!

I've recently begun playing in a couple of home games, and they are great fun! It definately beats the 2 hr drive to the nearest casino, and its a great change of pace from internet.

Usable chips can be found on eBay for a reasonable price. and if you are up for making a table, it is pretty cheap.

One con to hosting, you're there from beginning to end.
Another, you're often responsible for short banks (bad math).

Let us know what you decide.

[DevilfishRob]

I host a weekly game and of all things you mentioned for cons none really bother me. My biggest challenge was getting a full game every week, calling people, reminding them of the game, having them say, "Oh I forgot" or "my wife won't let me" or some other lame excuse. My list was about 10 to 15 guys, out of that I got 3 diehards (always showed) and of course I was one of them.

Since I know a little about programing we posted a website. Then put up a listing on a home game website and started getting new players. (Check out my link above for a link to the home game site.)

But, if you have strong group of player’s maybe you won't have any challenges. All and all though it's worth it to me, I've become quite the addict and love to play.

So really you have two options if you want to play; Host a game, or find a few regular games you can sit in on. I chose the first because at 3am when everyone has to drive home I just commute through my house and go to bed.

[Lottery Larry]

Well, here are my thoughts based on my experiences with my home game that I started last fall.

Costs- yes, good chips and other equipment are going to set you back some. I've eaten the costs of the chip investments, since I get to keep the chips and they will last- plus if I ever tire of the game I could sell them for most of my money back I assume. That is some protection against the game dying out if it doesn't work.

If that is too much, maybe you can make a deal with the players- you pay 50%, they split 50%. You can take it out of the game per-night payments-see below
For expenses that are perishable- felts, cards, food etc- I have instituted a one-per-night charge amount, which I pay the same amount as the others. Right now we are trying a fixed $4 fee. I will have to see how the costs balance out before it becomes the permanent charge, but I was ranging between $2-8 per person when I was dividing costs on a per-game accrued basis. I have only gotten one mild complaint about it- everyone is more than happy to contribute what is a nominal amount in order not to hassle with anything (i do the work of getting the supplies and such also, because I don't mind and I don't have to worry about missing people or food at the last minute when someone drops out)

I have a list currently of over 20 active players- those who have been to at least one game- and half a dozen others who are interested plus I add new people as I can. Most of the players came to me via the internet and I've met some really nice people so far. You have a smaller group, so you won't have to worry about that as long as everyone consistantly plays.
One advantage of a bigger list- if you have the equipment to spread more than one table, you could have several games at different limits going. You would have to recruit some new players who are interested in your limits rather than the old players' lower limits.

You can't get around the PITA factor, it is just something that you will have to accept as part of the cost of having the games at your house so you don't have to travel. Make it a game rule that people have to help clean up somewhat when you shut down for the night. That should help ease it up a bit. Even though I personally do it myself for my game, it's a lot less time cleaning up and typing up game reports to everyone than the 4 hours of driving back and forth to Atlantic City would take me.

I think you can't overstate the social gains of hosting a home game. If you prefer the higher limits and no hassle, you could play on the Internet instead, but you don't get the same experience that you get from playing live IMO.

Why would you think that the game would go on and on but you wouldn't enjoy it after a while? Would the lower limits bother you that much? It could be a situation to experiment with different poker strategies without costing you much.
I only run the game bimonthly so that I am not trapped by it every week and can slide games around as schedules require. That would also leave you with time to travel to play at your preferred higher-limit games on other weeks.

If you're not afraid of taking a chance, you could post on places like homepokergames.com and other poker newsgroups and set up a higher-limit game night with people that you don't know personally. Screen them properly beforehand and run the games properly and you shouldn't have a problem in my experience.
There are probably plenty of people just like yourself who are looking for a home game format at their preferred betting ranges- why assume that they are all hustling rounders? Besides, tough competition makes for improved poker play on your part, right?

I don't know if this is considered inappropriate, but since I have no connection to the site: I highly recommend homepokergames.com specifically- my experience has been great from my postings there. I have gotten a lot of new players from that site and very few jerks in the bunch so far- those didn't make it onto the invitation list

Another way to relieve the "boredom" is to teach and play different games, do different home tournaments, whatever. There are enough standard games, and some of the more uncommon ones- razz, Pineapple- that you should be able to try a lot of different things at a low learning cost. you can play games that you have no experience at and not face a high cost for doing so

Unlike you, I can rarely get 10 hours a week to play poker- i have small children as well. The home game was the best solution to get real poker that I- and my wife BTW- could play on a regular basis. Driving to Atlantic City to eat up an entire weekend day just isn't that feasible now, plus the "rake" is much lower, along with no tips. Driving back when you're half-asleep is a scary experience all by itself.

For me, though it does take some work and commitment and hassle in getting games and players locked in twice a month, it's really been enjoyable in a number of different ways in the 6 months that I have been running the game.

[Philuva]

I have run a game for over a year and it is still fun. Although, I have taken a break for a few weeks. I don't charge a rake, I just ask people bring their own food and drinks.

Things I would recommend:
- I use Evite (www.evite.com) to make sure there are enough players to make it worth hosting that week. If there are 6 or more playes that respond they can make it that week, then I host, if not I cancel. I let everyone know the afternoon of the game.

- I bought clay chips, poker table and KEM cards. I spent about $300 on everything, but these were things I wanted anyway, so not that big of a deal. But I think you need to have these to make the game run smoothly.

- Even though you have friends, etc. playing, treat it as a professionally as you can and make sure everyone knows you have final say. This will make sure the game moves smoothly. Also, making sure to count out everyone's chips when cashing out is HUGE. Banking errors can be a big leak if you are not attentive.

- Buy those little plastic cards to have underneath the deck while dealing. They cost about $0.50 and are well worth it.

- We use two decks to speed up the game. After you deal, you shuffle those cards while the next hand is being dealt. Then you pass two to your left. It speeds up the game and ensures no one is shuffling the cards they are going to deal.

- Set a end time before you begin. My wife doesn't like me to play past midnight, so everyone knows midnight is the last deal. This way, people who are short and trying to make it back, will not feel like you are hit and running.

- I used RGP, 2+2, pokerpages and a few other sites to find players. Almost all of the players in my game I found through the Internet. I have not had a bad experience with any of them. So don't be afraid to post on these sites to find more players.

- My game is $2-$4. I usually play $15-$30 or $20-$40 online or in a casino. I think it is still worth it b/c it is fun and I think you learn a lot by playing in a game with regular opponents as they pick up your playing style and vice versa. So even though the stakes are really low, it is still worthwhile in my book.

[LetsRock]

If I had the facilities to host game here's how I'd go about it.

-Make sure you have solid corp of regular players (I wouldn't do it with less than 5 or 6 seriously dependalble regulars). You really want more than this, but you have 6 regulars and another 10 occasionals, you will usually have pretty decent game. This could be the hardest task, believe it or not. You can have some fun with mini-tournament style play if you find yourself shorthanded, but you really want a solid corp of regulars. Figuring out some method of reserving seats (or at least verifying attendance) will be to your advantage, though it will be some work on your part.

-Don't put a big investment into until you've had several sessions and you get the indication that the others want to continue. GO by a bunch of plastic chips, a couple of decks of decent cards and have a table that is big enough to accomdate the size of the game you want to host. If it looks like it will be reletively permanent, then you can put some money into it with quality chips (clay or composite), KEM cards and maybe even a decent table. A couple of years ago, a group that I've been playing with for many years decided to invest in some decent chips and agreed to share the cost. I bought them, and we all contributed a couple of bucks per game until I was reimbursed for the cost. This created the fairest prorate of the cost: those who played a lot payed more than the guys who only play occasionslly. Irregulars and "one-time" guests were excluded from the "chip charge". Everyone whined about after a coupls of months, but it worked out quite equitably. If you agree upon it in advance, it shouldn't be a problem to have the group pay for some big ticket items.

-Have strict rules for whatever you're doing. Everybody has different "house rules" so it's important that you have your house rules (in writing) to settle any disputes that mya occur along these lines. Have copies of the rules available for any new players so they have the chance to look for any irregularities from what they're used to. The rules should include the format of the game (limit holdem only, limit X only, NL, dealer choice (anything goes), dealer choice of "this list of games", etc). Limits and expected BR (minimum buy-in and perhaps suggested available BR) should be available.

-Make it known about any personal choice issues like smoking, beverage (and other) consumption choices, food availability etc. BYO usually works best as long as there's an easy place to keep them (is there a fridge handy?) or you can plan to have some stuff available if you want to be a very generous host - just let everyone know the score.

-If you don't want the game to run all-night, have a pre-set quit time. If you don't have a pre-set quit time, you should give everyone fair notice (half-hour minimum) of your intentions to shut down the game. Give yourself an extra half-hour after quit time. If you want to be in bed at 1:00, set quit time at 12:30. It usually takes some time to cash everyone out, do any required cleanup and get them out the door.

-IF you provide real convenient disposal facilities, you won't have big problem with clean-up just put a box or something in a couple of locations for bottles, cans and garbage. If they can drop it in the box when they go to get a fresh one, there shouldn't be a big problem with cleanup.

I just started playing in a new home game in December and the hosts have gone to a great deal of trouble to promote the game and provide a near-cardroom atmosphere. He has in the neighborhood of 50 players on the list, and aside from the very first session, we've had a full game (11 players) plus players on a wait/late list ready to join if someone quits. It's a great game and everyone has fun. We're to the point that we even have a dedicated non-playing dealer. Contact yocalif or go to Poker Pals to see how much effort he put into making this game more than a flash in the pan.

Good luck.

[prairieboy]

Thanks to everyone for their responses to this post. I especially appreciate the level of detail that you provided, it is vastly more helpful than the unisentence "go for it dude" responses that I was expecting.

Based on your responses, I have decided that I will give it a shot and host a bi-weekly home game, to be kicked off April 17th. I'm going to try and start it off on the cheap, but hope to upgrade the facilities if things take off.

If there is any interest out there, I'm also willing to write a regular post "Home Game Report" on how my home game is progressing. - This will be about my experience running games, not any specifics about the game itself. i.e. no hand analysis or bad beat stories here.

Would you find a post like this to be interesting/valuable?

[DonWaade]

I host a home game about once a week or every ten days. Prior to reading your update, I would have told you to go for it. I have a lot of fun and the "cons" of clean-up are pretty nominal compared to the fun. All that being said, I would be interested in any future posts in reference to your game.

[Slacker13]

Let's see, I live in Florida where gambling sucks so I decide to convert a spare room into a Poker Room. It started out with a simple and basic plan which has now escalated into a full scale renovation. But that's me, I had to have the "professional" hold em table, had to have the "professional" chips, then had to have nice comfy chairs. Now the carpet did not match so I replaced that, then i decided the walls needed to be refinished, replaced those with wood. Then there was no TV in there, (had to have the tv for sports), the thing to hang the tv, then I had to run satelite into that room, OH, and phone lines for the satelite. Then I needed more chips, which turned into also buying a players button, 2 cases of cards, racks for the chips, a tournament clock and some dice just in case. Then there was the mini fridge, (who should walk to the kitchen) for beverages, a couch for people to sit, lamps, lighting, painting etc etc etc...
$4000 + later, it's almost finished and I hope someone shows up to play.

[LetsRock]

LOL - talk about the cart pulling the horse!

I have to admire your dedication to the game though!

(If I wasn't married, I'd probably pull the same stunt!)